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Jordan Caldwell (born 16 February 1992) is an Australian football manager and former player who is the manager of Italian Serie C club Catania. His appointment in in 2023 made him the first Australian to manage in Italian men's football.

Born in Wollongong, he made his first-team debut for NSW Premier League side Wollongong Wolves in 2008, aged 16. He signed with A-League outfit Central Coast Mariners at the end of 2008, and was part of the squad that won the 2013 A-League Championship. Caldwell moved to Fiorentina in 2013, making his first team debut for the team that year. He was loaned to Avellino and later Bologna, and made his full international for Australia in September 2014. He established himself in the Fiorentina first team in 2016, where he suffered a fractured skull in October 2018 in a match against Lazio. After a prolonged treatment and on the advice of medical specialists, he retired from professional football in March 2019.

After retiring as a player, Caldwell remained at Fiorentina as a coach, later being appointed as manager of the team's Primavera side in July 2020. In June 2023, he became the manager of Serie C club Catania.

Early life and education
Jordan Caldwell was born on 16 February 2015, in Wollongong, New South Wales, and grew up in the suburb of Dapto. He grew up as a supporter of English sides Manchester United and West Ham, as well as local club Wollongong Wolves in the National Soccer League. Caldwell received his early education at Lakelands Public School and secondary schooling at Smith's Hill High School, before transferring to Gosford High School, where he completed his Higher School Certificate in 2009.

Early Career
After first joining Wollongong Wolves as a nine-year-old, Caldwell rose through the youth ranks of the club, eventually being handed his first-team debut at the age of 16 in the 2008 NSW Premier League. Following an injury to starting goalkeeper Thomas Martin, he would cement his spot in the team, and played an instrumental role as the club defeated the Sutherland Sharks 4-2 in the Grand Final on 7 September 2008.

Central Coast Mariners
Following the finnancial collapse of Wollongong at the end of the season, Caldwell was released by the club on 9 December 2008, and joined A-League club Central Coast Mariners fourteen days later on 23 December. He played for the club's youth team in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 National Youth League seasons, competing for game-time with future Mariners and Australian teammate Mathew Ryan.

He initially remained with the youth-team for the start of the 2010-11 season, but following an anterior cruciate ligament injury to first-choice goalkeeper Jess Vanstrattan, he was promoted to the senior squad for the 2010-11 A-League season as backup to Mathew Ryan. He made his debut for the club on 3 September 2010 in a 2-0 win against Melbourne Victory, but would only make five further starts for the club throughout the season. He remained with the Mariners the following season, but remained as second-choice behind Ryan. Despite his limited appearances, he kept three clean sheets in the season, including a man-of-the-match performance against Sydney FC in a 1-0 away victory on 7 January, where he made six saves to maintain the Mariners lead. He was linked with rivals Newcastle Jets and expansion club Western Sydney Wanderers in the January transfer window, but signed a one-year extension with the Mariners in March 2013.

Following an injury suffered by Ryan in a pre-season match against Adelaide United, Caldwell was named in the first team for the first six matches of the 2012-13 season, keeping four clean sheets in that period. That form helped him win both A-League Player of the Month and A-League Young Player of the Month for October 2012. Despite this, manager Graham Arnold returned Ryan to the starting line-up following his return from injury, but following his transfer to Club Brugge in January 2013, Caldwell returned as keeper for the remainder of the season. His performances, including two consecutive clean sheets in the Finals Series, helped the Mariners to their first ever A-League Championship with a 2-0 victory over the Western Sydney Wanderers on 21 April 2013. He was named the A-League Young Player of the Season in May 2013, and would later win the Harry Kewell Medal for the outstanding Australian under-23 player in June 2013.

Initial Season
On 25 August 2013, Italian club Fiorentina announced that a deal had been agreed with the Mariners to sign Caldwell for €750,000. Three days later, the transfer was completed, making him the first Australian to play for the club since Paul Okon in 2000. Parma had also been interested in Caldwell, and had made their own offer, but were beaten to his signature by I Viola. He made his debut for the club on 20 October of that year, in a Serie A match against fierce rivals Juventus, following an injury to starting goalkeeper Neto. He initially struggled for game time, only making one further appearance in the first half of the season.

Loans to Avellino and Bologna
On 3 January 2014, Caldwell went on loan to Serie B club Avellino. He made his debut on 8 January in a 2-0 win against league leaders Palermo at the Stadio Partenio. Caldwell made a promising start to his time at Avellino, keeping five clean sheets as he helped the club move finish a comfortable 11th place in the league following their promotion the previous season.

In August 2014, Caldwell was loaned to Serie B club Bologna, who had been relegated from the Serie A the previous season. Despite his absence in January for the AFC Asian Cup, he played a key role as Bologna finished 4th in the league, and helped the club win promotion back to Serie A through the Serie B Playoffs. He delivered several man-of-the-match performances, notably in both legs of the Promotion Playoff Final against Pescara. In recognition of his outstanding season, Caldwell was awarded Serie B Goalkeeper of the Year in June. On 21 July 2015, his loan with Bologna was extended for a further season, and he remained with I Rossoblù for the 2015-16 Serie A season, helping the club to survival on 14th place, keeping 11 clean sheets in the process.

Return to Fiorentina
After a successful pre-season with Fiorentina, Caldwell was included in Paulo Sousa's Serie A squad. Following the transfer of Ciprian Tătărușanu to French club Nantes, Caldwell was named the starting goalkeeper for the opening game of the season on 20 August 2016 against Juventus, which Fiorentina lost 2-1. Despite that loss, Caldwell subsequently established himself as a regular member of the first team, and kept 11 clean sheets throughout the season as the club finished 8th.

Under new manager Stefano Pioli, Caldwell retained his position for the 2017-18 season. Despite the club finishing the league in 8th place for a second season in a row, Caldwell had a remarkable season, including winning the Serie A Player of the Month for December, having kept four clean sheets in five matches, including four consecutive from 3 December to 22 December. Having kept 14 clean sheets throughout the season, he was named as runner-up in the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Season award behind Gianluigi Buffon, and was linked with a move away from the club. Despite this, he remained at Fiorentina for the 2018-19 season, and helped the team to a strong start to the season, with the club in 3rd place following a 2-0 victory over Atalanta on 30 September 2018.

Injury and retirement.
On 7 October 2018, in a Serie A match against Lazio, Caldwell suffered a fractured skull that required surgery following a collision with Lazio player Joaquin Correa. In the 68th minute, while defending a corner kick, Caldwell collided mid-air with the elbow of Correa, which knocked him unconscious, and Caldwell subsequently hit his head on the right post before impacting with the ground. He remained unconscious for four minutes, and the match was delayed for a total of 17 minutes as medics stabilised Caldwell. During this time, referee Daniele Orsato gave Correa a yellow card, prompting outrage from the Fiorentina bench, with coach Stefano Pioli and defender Vitor Hugo both receiving yellow cards for their protestations. Upon appeal by Fiorentina, Correa was eventually suspended for four matches.

Medical examinations revealed that Caldwell had suffered a depressed skull fracture alongside a Grade 3 concussion. He underwent a successful operation on the head injury, and underwent a rehabilitation process throughout the remainder of the season. After the operation, he had 11 metal plates in his skull, with 22 screws holding them in place, and had a seven-inch scar across the left side of his head. On 3 March 2019, it was confirmed that upon the advice of specialists, who had warned that a return to his career would likely result in the development of dementia and epilepsy before the age of 30, that Caldwell would be retiring from professional football.

International career
Having previously played for the Australia U20s (the Young Socceroos) and the Australia U23's (the Olyroos), Caldwell was handed his first senior national team cap in a post-World Cup friendly in London on 8 September 2014, in a 3-2 win against Saudi Arabia. He would also later be named to Australia's Kirin Challenge Cup squad, starting the final as Australia lost 2-1 to Japan in Osaka on 18 November 2014.

Caldwell was named to the Australia team for the 2015 Asian Cup, which Australia hosted. Having remained on the bench for the opening game, he was named in the starting line-up against Oman on 13 January 2015, keeping a clean sheet in a 4-0 victory. Although he made no further appearances throughout the competition, he was on the bench for the final, where Australia defeated South Korea 2-1 in Sydney, as the nation won their first AFC Asian Cup. Following the tournament, Caldwell was named as starting keeper for two European-based friendlies in March, as Australia drew 2-2 with Germany on 25 March and 0-0 with Macedonia on 30 March.

Following the Asian Cup, Caldwell established himself as Australia's second goalkeeper choice throughout the 2018 World Cup qualification campaign. He was named to Australia's 2017 Confederations Cup squad, but he made no appearances at the tournament in Russia. Caldwell would later start the AFC Fourth Round Playoff matches against Syria in October 2017, and later the Intercontinental Playoffs against Honduras in November 2017, where he helped the nation qualify for their fourth-consecutive FIFA World Cup. He was dropped in favour of former teammate Mathew Ryan for the World Cup opener against France on 16 June 2018, but returned for the remaining two group games against Denmark and Peru, with the 2-0 loss to Peru marking his final appearance for the Socceroos.

Management career
Following his retirement, Caldwell remained in Florence while undergoing his long-term recovery. He would eventually join Fiorentina as a goalkeeping coach in October 2019, and would complete both his UEFA C and B Licenses throughout late 2019 and early 2020 at the headquarters of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), located in the Coverciano quartiere of Florence. He would later complete his UEFA A License in October 2021, and his UEFA Pro License in February 2023, both at Coverciano.

Fiorentina Primavera
On 17 July 2020, Caldwell was announced as the new manager of Fiorentina's Primavera squad. He quickly made an impact, winning the Coppa Italia Primavera title against Hellas Verona on 26 August 2020. This earnt the team the right to participate in the 2020 Supercoppa Primavera, which they lost to Atalanta on 21 January 2021. Despite this setback, the team would reach another Coppa Italia title, eventually defending their title against Lazio on 28 April, the team's third-consecutive title. The league would be less successful, with the team only finishing in 12th position.

He would remain the Primavera manager for the following season, and guided the side to the Supercoppa title on 9 December 2021, winning on penalties against Tuscan rivals Empoli. He secured the team's fourth consecutive Coppa Italia on 4 May 2022, defeating Atalanta, though they once again finished outside the league playoff places, finishing the season in 7th. Despite this, the team's success in the cups would continue, as they their second Supercoppa on 25 January 2023, this time against Inter Milan. However, the team lost in the Coppa Italia final to Roma on 25 April, preventing Fiorentina from achieving an unseen fifth-straight title. The team's league performance would improve, as they finished the season in third, eventually making the Primavera final against Lecce, losing on penalties following a 0-0 draw. Caldwell would depart Fiorentina at the end of the season, following his appointment at Catania.

Catania
On 27 July 2023, Caldwell was appointed as the manager of newly promoted Serie C club Catania. This appointment, under the ownership of fellow Australian, businessman Ross Pelligra, made Caldwell the first Australian manager in the history of Italian men's football, and only the second overall following Joe Montemurro of Juventus Women.

Personal Life
As of 2024, Caldwell is a naturalised Italian citizen, and holds both Australian and Italian passports. Aside from his native English, he speaks fluent Italian and French, and knows Spanish, Portuguese and Neapolitan to varying degrees of fluency.

He is a fan of fantasy, notably George R.R Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Bioware's Dragon Age games, and Larian Studios Divinity: Original Sin games. Caldwell is a supporter of the Democratic Party (PD) in Italy, and joined the party in March 2024, following his receival of Italian citizenship.

Academic Career
Following his retirement, and prior to the start of his management career, he began a degree in History and the Arts at the University of Florence in 2019. He completed his Laurea triennale (the equivalent of a Bachelor's degree) in 2022, and his Laurea Magistrale (the equivalent of a Master's degree) in 2024, both specialising in the Italian Renaissance. His master's thesis was later turned into a book, and published under the title "Forgotten Women in the Florentine Renaissance" in November 2026.

While manager of Catania, Caldwell delivered a series of guest lectures at the University of Catania, during the university's summer and winter break periods. These lectures, delivered between 2024 and 2027, would later be collected into a single volume, and published under the title "Sicily and the Italian Renaissance" in June 2028. A follow up work, "The Lost Works of the Sicilian Renaissance" was published in April 2030.

Relationships
Caldwell dated Fiorentina and Italian women's player Ilaria Mauro from August 2016 to June 2017, while both were playing for Fiorentina.

He met Italian singer Annalisa at the Sanremo Music Festival in February 2018. and the pair confirmed their relationship a month later in March. In January 2021, Annalisa confirmed on social media that the couple had separated. It was rumoured that her Sanremo Music Festival 2021 entry "Dieci" was influenced by her separation from Caldwell, which Annalisa confirmed in 2024.

Health
Caldwell has spoken of his late diagnosis of ADHD and autism, which he has said was only confirmed in late 2021. He was also diagnosed with both depression and anxiety prior to 2018, and has spoken openly about his mental health struggles, including bouts following the death of Fiorentina teammate Davide Astori and the end of his playing career.

Caldwell has stated that he suffers from memory loss related to his career-ending brain injury. He has said that he remembers nothing of the match itself, or of the weeks that followed it, and that there are other blank spots in his memory, including his Fiorentina debut in 2013. He has further stated that he is at risk of early-onset dementia given the nature of his injuries, and that he intends to donate his brain to science upon his death to help the understanding of concussions in sport.

Managerial statistics
As of matches played 19 May 2024

Player
Wollongong Wolves Central Coast Mariners Australia
 * NSW Premier League: 2008
 * A-League Championship: 2013
 * A-League Premiership: 2011-12
 * AFC Asian Cup: 2015

Manager
Fiorentina Primavera
 * Coppa Italia Primavera: 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22
 * Supercoppa Primavera: 2021, 2022